


The Collapse of the City Beyond Time (Sort of)

by Im_only_mildly_ashamed



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Audio Distress, Background Relationships, Background story, FUCK, Fake Book excerpts, First off:, Gen, Gender Dysphoria, Graphic Description, HxHBB18, Magic AU, No real pair, Sports, Tennis Player!Alluka, Violence, Vomiting, firearms, if thats a thing, in the loosest interpriation, mansion, second of all, um
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 100
Words: 10,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_only_mildly_ashamed/pseuds/Im_only_mildly_ashamed
Summary: Half this fic is excerpts from fake books, and the other half is Alluka not seeing some of the most important events in the universe.The literal story is almost nonexistent and the implied story is completely incoherent.Alluka is a tennis player.Gon is magic.Killua is sad.





	1. Chapter 1

The worst thing about an empty mansion is the noises.

It shutters and creaks and groans like it’s dying.

But it doesn’t die.

And perhaps that’s what bothers Alluka the most.

That the heaving, massive building doesn’t just collapse under its own weight.

That this whole damn place doesn’t just --

She’s now realizing she snapped the pen she was holding in half.

It’s leaking ink all over her and her notebook.

“Shit.” She says, louder than advisable, dragging out all the vowels and emphasizing all the consonants.

She glares for a moment at her hands and her sketchbook.

The pen is bleeding all over her.

“Shit.” She says again, short and sweet and entirely made of emphasis.

Alluka carefully extracts herself from the windowsill she was sitting in.

She holds her ink soaked arm in front of her as she hurries to a nearby bathroom, trying to stain as little a possible

She drops the bleeding pen to the bottom of the sink basin and turns on the water with her unstained hand.

She’s right next to a window, and the sound of rain nearly drowns out the constant creaking.

She flips on the water and the pipes groan briefly before the faucet starts spitting out mostly clear water.

It’s late.

Very late.

She leans her head against the cool glass of the window near the sink.

Between the whining water and gentle rain she almost can’t hear the creaking house.

Almost.


	2. Chapter 2

From _The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck_ , published posthumously

Page 157, February 10th;

     “Rain is kind.”


	3. Chapter 3

She has her eyes closed and her head resting up against the glass.

The sink is still running.

She can hear crackling wood on the stairs as her brother, the only other person in the 20,000 square foot house, walks up to investigate.

Alluka can almost not hear him.

She’s fucking  _ exhausted _ .

If she fell asleep here he would probably leave her alone.

She shuts her eyes harder and waits for sleep.

Alluka sighs into the glass.

The sound of footfalls and the boards warping under them get closer.

And quieter.

They’re just outside the bathroom now.

When they were young she and Killua would make a game out of being as quiet as possible on the screeching wood.

She would always win.

Something flashes in the distance, bright enough to shine through her tight-shut eyes.

She expects thunder, but her brother groans in surprise and pain behind her, and there is no other noise.

Except the creaking.

And the rain.

And the faucet.

Alluka takes her head off the glass and turns to look at her brother


	4. Chapter 4

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of Simple Incantations.

 

Page 264:

“When exiting a tear in reality, be sure to keep your eyes covered, as the flash of light that is a side effect of your arrival will blind you... reality tear has been known to cause temporary blindness to those even up to two miles away.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Ok?” Alluka said, finally closing the tap and turning to look at her sibling.

Killua nods and blinks a few times before rubbing his palms into his eyes.

“Yeah, it was just bright.” he says.

Alluka hums.

“Lightning.” she says.

“Yeah” he agrees, focusing his eyes to look back up at her.

There was no distant rumble of thunder.

Just the gentle patter of rain.

“Do you want to watch TV?" Killua askes. "Loud TV?"  


He was being considerate.

In his clumsy way.

Alluka nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

From Caleb Cleveland TV Screenplay

Season 2, Episode 16;

 

        [Close on Allen]

 

        Allen ( _ confused _ ):

“Wait, if Baron Bon was never even in the room, then how did he commit the murder?”

 

        [Reverse shot of Caleb looking fondly at Allen as he speaks]

 

        Caleb ( _ Interrupting his own thoughts _ ):

“I never said he wasn’t in the room, I said he never set  **foot** in the bachelor pad.”


	7. Chapter 7

Celeb Cleveland; Kid Detective is a kid’s show with gay undertones and a funky soundtrack.

There’s nothing more you can ask for when you want to drown out the sounds of a slowly withering house.

Even still, Killua cranks the volume slightly higher than comfortable.

He’s trying to be considerate.

In his own clumsy way.

For a while Alluka forgets all of it.

The strain of holding a massive house and red “foreclosed” sticker apart with a tennis racket and a dozen years of practice.

The sounds of a decrepit mansion falling apart.

The look of a sibling loathing himself for uselessness.

The bitter taste of a family that failed them.

The look of the ugly  _ male _ face in the mirror.

But for a few minutes, the only thing that matters is whether or not Caleb can crack this one (he will), or if he’ll ever get closer than a hair’s breadth from confessing his feelings (he won’t).


	8. Chapter 8

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of simple Incantations.

 

Page 263:

       “Despite the title of ‘simple invocation’ Reality Tear is likely to have some egregious (though purely physical) repercussions if cast without the utmost time or care. The most common mistake when casting is to make a mistake on the complex geometric designs needed to cast. Refer to appendix B for the exact percentage of flesh removed and its correlations with the percentage of misdrawn design.”


	9. Chapter 9

It’s like clockwork.

The episode ends and the thirty second buffer before next episode starts ticking down.

It’s at twenty-five seconds when they hear the sound of wood breaking.

A set of old deadly instincts wake up.

Killua stops the autoplay at exactly twenty four seconds.

Alluka, moving as little as possible, curls one of her hands into a fist and then extends her pointer and her thumb in the shape of a gun.

Killua nods once and slides a butterfly knife out of his pocket.

He points to her and mimics her symbol for a gun.

Alluka wants to call him stupid.

Someone just broke into their house.

This meant the police were conducting a raid or a group was planning to rob them.

Either way it meant multiple attackers and an awful lot of guns.

Him marching downstairs with a folding knife would do nothing for anyone.

Killua’s expression could not be convinced.

She blinked, slow and pained, before nodding.

Killua stood and walked as close to silently as the old wooden floors would allow.

Alluka waited one-hundred heart beats before she stood up and started walking.


	10. Chapter 10

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

Page 182, March 8th;

       “Nothing happened today.”


	11. Chapter 11

It is extremely hard to run silently.

Near to impossible in a 300 year old house.

But Alluka is making do.

She steps purely on the balls of her feet, taking strange, long steps over unseen loose or warped floorboards.

The wood of the house groans as she passes, that is unavoidable, but she manages to step over the worst of it with muscle memory and fear.

The only sound she can make out is the rush of air as she runs, wobbling and silent through the sprawling, ancient house.


	12. Chapter 12

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

The bottom of page 182, March 8th;

       “It was still a bad day.”


	13. Chapter 13

Alluka reaches her father's room.

She gives up on stealth, ripping open drawers in search of that damn-

There it is, in the socks and underwear drawer.

She hoists her fathers revolver from next to his collection of black socks and tosses the gun over her shoulder onto the bed.

Then she throws the socks behind her in clumps, looking for that orange box of-

There.

She slides open the box and dumps the contents out into the same drawer.

She grabs a fistful of bullets and shoves them into her pocket and then sorts out 6 from those still mixed with socks.

She turns around, scanning for the gun.

It isn't there.

She takes a cautious step forward.

She heard it land on the bed.

Right?

Desperately, Alluka starts throwing aside pair of socks, hoping it was just covered as she throws clothes.

It isn't.

She nearly screams.

She rips back the dusty blankets, hoping that-

_ Clunk _ .

She turns.

Her father's gun;

Slightly gilded around the edges.

It’s an heirloom because  _ of course it is _ .

Alluka sighs.

Long and hard.

At this point Alluka Zoldyck has been awake for 49 hours straight.

Roughly ten and a half of those hours have been spent in olympic level tennis training.

Alluka rests her face on the gun as she pops out the cylinder and slides in six bullets.


	14. Chapter 14

Excerpts from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of Simple Incantations.

 

Page 217:

“It isn’t logical to start talking about Orange Butterfly without first acknowledging the culture surrounding it. To anyone ingrained in the culture of The City, it will be considered a romantic gesture. In many instances, creating an orange butterfly is as good as a marriage proposal. Having said that, in the world outside The City, the Orange butterfly is nothing more than a pretty light show.”

 

Page 218:

“To cast Orange butterfly is comparatively simple. You only simply need to soak playing card (Refer to appendix R for brand and material differences) in blood and acetone and set it on fire while chanting the Sumerian Rites of Growth and Decay.”


	15. Chapter 15

The phone rings.

For a moment, alluka doesn’t move.

Still slouched face first into her revolver.

The phone rings.

She holds the gun in her left hand and picks up the phone with her other hand.

“Alluka? I need you to bring a first aid kit. We’re in the sun room.”

Then everything Alluka feels melts into a wash of relief.

Alluka nods.

“Alluka?” her brother speaks again.

She realizes he can’t see her nod.

“Yeah, I’ll be there soon.”

Killua sighs.

It crackles through the speaker.

Alluka starts putting down the phone.

“Alluka?” Killua asks.

His voice is hopeful.

Like maybe she wouldn’t hear him.

“Yeah?” She says.

“Can you bring salt too?”

Alluka furrows her brows.

It would be easier to explain in person either way.

“Yeah.”


	16. Chapter 16

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 6: High risk incantations/Laboratory Incantations

 

Page 803, Paragraph 2:

“The only physical component needed for Mend Flesh is Salt. It is important to note t…”


	17. Chapter 17

Despite years of endurance training, she can’t run anymore.

She walks, glass jar of salt in one hand, red box of bandages and disinfectant in the other, revolver stuffed into her sweatpants pocket.

She walks as quickly as her legs will allow.

They ache and her breath tastes like blood.

She closes her eyes sometimes when she walks.

She’s so fucking tired.

The sunroom isn’t far now.

Sunroom.

Alluka furrows her brows with her eyes still closed.

When had they started calling it that?

She remembers, vaguely, back when she still wore suits instead of dresses, they had still called it that.

She thinks back to when she and Killua had roamed through the massive dusty place, age in single digits and recklessness in spades.

They’d still called it the sunroom.

She opens her eyes.

Killua is holding open the door to the Sunroom from the end of the hall.

His eyes are wide and filled with worry.

He motions her to hurry.

Her legs can barely lift her feet but she runs.


	18. Chapter 18

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

Page 178 January 25

“If I cripple myself I don’t have to play tennis anymore.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this chapter is pretty gory, so if its not your cup of tea that's totally ok, just skip to chapter 24 and I'll give a summary of everything you missed.
> 
> Also if you've commented I love you

Killua keeps the door open and Alluka jogs through it.

She stops once inside.

The Sunroom is a large rectangular room with a massive skylight of peaked glass.

Currently, the semi-gentle rain is flowing down the angled glass and into some unseen gutter.

The Sunroom is sparse, a green carpet lining the floor beneath the skylight and a collection of dead plants in dusty red pots lining the edge of the room, this being what remained from multiple desperate sales.

Laying sprawled on what used to be a green carpet is a man Alluka has never seen before.

His eyes are a friendly, intense brown and his hair is black but somehow green.

His skin, she wagers, would be brown if it wasn’t soaked in blood.

He raises two fingers in a semi-conscious wave.

“Could you hand me the jar?” the stranger says from the floor, his voice is clear and confident and only a little quieted by blood loss.

Alluka walks towards him and places the jar, secreted from some small kitchen cabinet, next to one of his hands.

The stranger reaches with bloodsoaked fingers into the jar and scoops out a small bit of salt.

He puts it into his mouth.

Alluka is pretty sure she can see the shape of his intestines through his shirt.

It’s clear that rubbing alcohol and ace bandages aren’t going to help anyone.

“You guys should go outside.” the stranger says, already getting a second mouthful of salt ready.

Alluka was already turning heel to leave.

The salt is more likely for some religious last rites than for healing aid.

Those sorts of things are private.


	20. Chapter 20

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 6: High risk incantations/Laboratory Incantations

 

Page 803:

       “It is important to note that anything but pure salt will cause horrific Repercussions, the exact nature of which is difficult to determine without detailed knowledge of the person performing the rite and the substances mixed in with salt. Refer to table H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 (found at the end of the chapter) for calculating rough side effects.”


	21. Chapter 21

Killua and Alluka are alone outside the Sunroom.

“Don’t worry Alluka, he’s going to be ok.” Killua says. He says it in that patronizing way that’s supposed to be reassuring.

“Killua… I don’t think...”

Thinking about the chunks of muscles and bone ripped out of the stranger’s body makes Alluka’s stomach twirl.

She can’t finish the sentence or the thought.

“You didn’t see it,” Killua says. “He was incredible.” 

Aluka has never heard her brother say anything quite like he said that.

He’s still not looking at her.

He’s staring at the peeling gray wallpaper in-between the windows.

Then the screaming starts.

Alluka, reflexively, reaches for the doorknob.

Killua, reflexively, stops her.

They make eye contact, Killua’s fingers wrapped around her wrist.

The stranger screams again.

“His name is Gon.” Killua says, “And he’s going to be ok.”


	22. Chapter 22

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 6: High risk incantations/Laboratory Incantations

 

Page 804:

       “Given the incredibly volatile nature of Mend Flesh it is dangerous beyond expression to perform any variation of this Incantation outside of a laboratory setting with absolute quality control.”


	23. Chapter 23

Listening to screams is the easy part.

They go on for only a few minutes. 

Then starts the gagging.

Painful and nearly stomach deep.

There is brief, desperate gasping.

Then comes the sound of wetness pooling onto the ground as the stranger retches again, and then vomits.

And it continues.

Gag, wheeze, vomit.

Alluka can only imagine the volume of what he was throwing up.

She doesn’t want to.

Eventually the gagging stops and Gon can set aside time to breathe.

And then he screams again, short and entirely bitter, as something that sounded suspiciously like bone snaps.

Something made of fabric rips.

But the screaming doesn’t continue.

Just panting and wheezing, like Gon was having the wind knocked out of him repeatedly as he desperately tries to get a full lung of air.

Then comes the choking again.

And then the screaming.

And then panting.

And then prayer by a voice that isn’t Gon’s.

And then more vomiting.

And then a single ear-splitting scream that drags on, and on, and on, and on and-

And then silence.

Alluka had never noticed how quite the house could be before.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so for those of you who skipped over the gross parts Hi!  
> Gon was real beat up but went through some magic stuff to fix it.  
> Killua trusts him more than he deserves.  
> Alluka having a bad time  
> Aaaaannd  
> I think that it!  
> You're all caught up!  
> Also again if you comment of have commented I love you but I don't want to feel bad about only responding to a few and the more I comment the more it inflates my numbers and yeah  
> but I do really appreciate people commenting.

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Preface 1, What was The City Beyond Time?:

 

Page i:

“This slowed time in The City allowed for men and women with incredible patience to practice the semi-science of magic. This lead to great progress over the course of what outsiders consider only dozens of years.”


	25. Chapter 25

The creak of the door to the Sunroom opening sounds deafening against the quiet of gentle rain.

Out steps the stranger, Gon, tall and intact.

His clothes are soaked in vomit and blood and a liquid more unpleasant than both.

He smells like death and piss.

But his smile is like the sun coming up.

“What the hell.” Alluka breathes, wonderstruck and queasy.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey theres some french google translate in this bitch please don't make fun of me

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition, _

Preface I,

 

Page 11;

“‘Magic’ as the term will be used in this book, is  volatile and inherently indescribable. The most apropo description as I have found yet is one I came across while researching cultural interpretations and executions of magic in the 1754 text ‘ _ Explications de dans les coïncidences pas spécifique _ ’ or ‘ _ Explanations of in the inexplicit coincidences _ ’ by Aror Belmont. The quote was translated to me like so; ‘[Magic] is best explained by comparing it to a draw where the coin lands on its edge. The chances of this are small but it happens. When something improbable happens, a coin lands on its edge, we survive what should have killed us, or something else, it's a miracle. Like that, [magic] exists.’ This is how I found best to explain it to students, in my own words and in accordance with the situation.”


	27. Chapter 27

“Are you ok?” Killua asks, and his tone is  _ overjoyed _ .

He’s smiling and the happiness radiates off of him.

Gon looks at his torn, soaked shirt.

“Yeah.” he says, surprise in even his own voice.

“What the fuck.” Alluka reiterates, no question and all confusion in her voice.

“Oh, right. Is it easier to show her? Can you do the butterfly thing?” Killua asks Gon.

Gon shakes his head.

“No, the butterfly thing is…” he trails off.

He’s still staring at Killua.

“Look,” Alluka says, and her voice is venom and fire, not in the least because the man covered in puke is giving her brother the ‘do me eyes’. “I know you can do some goddamn wizard shit, you don’t need to convince me, I want to know how, and I want to know why you’re here, and then I want you to fuck right off.”

Killua’s grabs Alluka’s arm and he tugs her aside.

He drops his voice into a whisper and he talks.

“Alluka, we can’t just leave him.” he says, earnest and stupid.

Alluka sighs, frustrated.

He’s wrong of course, older brothers always are.

Somehow he’s gotten a crush on this idiot who gored himself apart then magiced himself back together again on their carpet and is making bad choices because of it.

On the other hand, he has passion in his eyes.

He’s pleading with her for the first time in years.

He wants something  _ for him _ for the first time in years.

Alluka rubs her face.

It’s well past midnight.

If she’s lucky she’ll have a few hours before tennis practice.

“Alright.” she says.

She doesn’t bother amending it with a threat.

It would be hollow anyway.


	28. Chapter 28

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

Page 140, January 7th;

“Sleepless nights are hell.”


	29. Chapter 29

Gon was walked, quickly, to the nearest bathroom.

Killua had to talk Alluka out of taking him outside and hosing him down.

Gon lingered on the door before he stepped inside.

“Can I have a change of clothes?” he asked.

Killua nodded.

“Yeah, put your old clothes in the trash can, we’ll figure out a replacement.” he says.

Gon nods and closes the bathroom door.

Alluka let out a breath like a deflating balloon.

Her knees start to wobble and Killua helps her sit on the floor.

She folds her legs under herself and rests her head against the wall.

The world doesn’t stop spinning.

Killua sits down next to her and Alluka slumps onto him.

Alluka closes her eyes.

The exhaustion in her bones won’t let her sleep.

“You ok?” Killua asks.

“Tired.” Alluka says.

Alluka can feel her brother nodding.

“Yeah.” he says.

They sit for a moment.

Quiet.

The rain has stopped.

The creaks and groans of the house still irritate Alluka.

She shuts her eyes tighter.

She’s too tired to move.

Then comes the sound of rumbling pipes and gushing water as their guest figured out the tap.

“What time is it?”

Alluka feels disconnected as her lips do the talking.

Killua shuffles awkwardly for a minute before fishing out his phone.

“Little after four.” he says.

Visibly, Alluka doesn’t react.

She wants to scream until her throat gives out.

There’s about an hour until she has to leave for tennis practice.

She’s not too angry to be tired, but she’s tired enough her anger is bitter.

Alluka humms.


	30. Chapter 30

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

Page 65, February 21

“I don’t think I have feelings about being the best tennis player in the world.”


	31. Chapter 31

The first thing Alluka feels when she wakes up is misery.

She was asleep.

Someone is making noise

Alluka’s misery turns to rage.

Someone  _ took _ sleep from her.

She opens her eyes.

Gon is there and he’s smiling ear to ear.

He’s wearing one of Illumi’s shirts and is within kissing distance of her brother.

“Really? Are you sure I wouldn’t just eat it?” Gon asks, and his tone is a whispered jab.

Killua tries his best to laugh as quietly as possible.

Try as she might, she can’t be angry at her brother for his equal part in waking her up.

Killua hasn’t laughed like that in years.

She clenches her jaw and closes her eyes and waits in silence for the boys at the other side of the hall to stop flirting.

They take a while.

She would have fallen asleep if she wasn’t furious at the moron wearing her distant brothers clothes.

Alluka wraps her fists into balls.

Then she takes a mental breath and stretches out her arms unfurling as she goes.

She tries her best to fake a ‘waking up groan’.

Killua silences Gon and then leans down.

“Hey, Alluka, you up for an intro to magic?”

Alluka nods.

Killua smiles and offers her a hand up.


	32. Chapter 32

Excerpt from _Healifr’s letters to The Council_ :

 

Letter 136:

       “It should be expressed that the skyrocketing population of The City is one of my party’s principle concerns. My proposed solutions follow thusly;"

 

Letter 136, page 4:

       "…Next, it should be made a heavily punishable offense to introduce more members into the community or to the basic concepts of Magic without explicit Council approval…”


	33. Chapter 33

Gon had lead the pair of them to the coffee room.

He wrung his hands as the pair sat across from him.

He sits down across a dusty glass coffee table in a brown arm chair.

The siblings sit on the other side of the table in a small couch.

Gon pats the pockets of Illumi’s jeans and licks his lips.

“What?” Killua asks.

“Do you guys have a coin?” Gon asks.

Killua reaches through his pocket and Alluka shoves a fist between the couch cushions.

Alluka comes up first, a palm covered in change and lint.

“Thanks!” Gon says as he takes the coin and turns it over in his hands.

“What kind of coin is it?” he asks, enthusiasm infectious.

Killua looks at the coin Gon is rolling over in his hand.

“Dime?” he says, more unsure than he should be.

Gon hums in acknowledgment.

Then he balances the coin carefully on his thumb, waits a moment, and then snaps it upwards.

The coin flips in the air, end over end, before it lands flat on one side.

“Heads,” Alluka says, looking up from the coin to Gon.

Gon is frowning, his eyebrows knit in concentration.

“It’s lighter than I’m used to.” he says, offering no other explanation.

Killua and Alluka exchange a glance.

Gon picks up the coin and again balances it on the nail of his thumb.

Then he, again, snaps it upwards.

It flips in the air again, end over end before landing on the table in a spin.

It spins for a moment of two before Gon smacks it down and picks it up again.

“Gon…” Killua begins.

But Gon isn’t listening.

He slides the coin into place again on his thumb and is facing forward in rapt concentration.

“Gon what are you trying to do?”

As Killua finishes his question, Gon snaps his finger upward and the coin flips end over end before landing perfectly on it’s edge.

Gon pumps his fists into the air and shouts in joy.

Killua and Alluka are left to look at the coin as it balances perfectly on its edge, not even wobbling.

“Was that magic?” Killua asks, completely stunned.

Gon shakes his head.

“It jus’ takes practice,” he says.

“How much practice?” Alluka asks, fear dawning.

Gon shrugs.

“A lot,” he says simply.

“If it isn’t magic, why did you bother showing us?” Killua asks.

Gon makes a face like he's thinking.

‘ _To show off,_ ’ says the bitter voice inside Alluka. ‘ _To impress you._ ’

“Because it's the first thing my teacher showed me.” Gon answers

“Magic is a practice of constant work and refinement.” Gon says, probably mimicking the voice of his teacher. “What I did wasn’t magic, but it’s a good way to explain what is.”

“And what is it?” Killua said, his patience waning.

“Things like flipping a coin onto its side, something that looks impossible but just takes practice.” Gon answered

“You can practice regrowing skin with kitchen salt?” Killua asked, again patience and curiosity battling.

Gon hummed again.

“I'm not explaining this very well…” he says before trying again.

“Ok, there are three main parts to any incantation: the components, the casting and the repercussion. To-”

Alluka stands up.

“Fuck.” she says, starting to walk away

Gon looked up, confusion and surprise in his face.

“Oh,” Killua says from behind her. “Tennis practice?”

Alluka turns to him and nods.

“I have to go now, i'm going to be late as is.”

“God, sorry sis I'll see you when you get back? I love you?” Killua stands up when he talks, reaching his arms out for a hug.

Alluka wraps her arms around him with tightness he probably wasn't expecting.

“Love you too.” she says softly

“I hope you know what you're doing,” she says, softer than that.

Killua doesn't answer.

Alluka turns and starts outside at a brisk pace.

“Ah! Sorry Miss Alluka, we’ll talk later, I enjoyed talking to you!”

Like always, Gon seemed to mean every word.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.” Alluka says as she tugs open the door.


	34. Chapter 34

Excerpt from _Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition_

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of simple Incantations.

 

Page 63:

        “Reality tear is the only way in or out of The City but..."

 

Page 63 paragraph 3:

        "…it is best performed with several hours for careful execution and, always, best performed with caution first and foremost in your mind.”


	35. Chapter 35

Alluka rips open the door to her tiny car.

Alluka throws her sports bag full force into the passenger’s side door.

Alluka steps inside her car and slams the door behind her.

And then she  _ screams _ , long and hard into the steering wheel.

And then, for a long minute, she just lays there.

She’s too angry to sleep.

Angry at the lunatic who’d broken into their home, angry at her brother for falling for that stupid fucking face, angry at the world for filling her Sunroom with blood and strangers angry at-

Alluka takes a slow breath.

In.

And out.

She takes the bridge of her nose off the steering wheel and leans back against the chair.

Then she just drives.


	36. Chapter 36

Excerpt from  _ Welcome to The City Beyond Time; an Informational Pamphlet (discontinued circa 1962) _

 

Page 2 side A:

“For many people, seeing our fine City is a life changing experience. It’s well known for its beautiful spires made of glass and its indescribable sky. The library has many pieces of poetry describing the lovely view and just below comfortable cold. For many new additions, the beauty of the Beast’s City can-”


	37. Chapter 37

Alluka drives angry into the early morning fog.

Her car has not heated up and the corners of the world and of her fingers are clammy.

She  _ hates _ all of it.


	38. Chapter 38

_ Silva Zoldyck’s last email : _

 

To: ElectricGod46@gmail.com

 

Killua,

 

Your mother and I will be gone for some time.

 

Conceivably forever.

 

Illumi and Milluki should be able to care for you until you are old enough to take control of the estate.

 

Succeed.


	39. Chapter 39

Back roads and dirt paths turn to main streets and two lane thoroughfare, and Alluka starts to loosen her iron grip on the steering wheel.

The car is beginning to push out the frigid air.

She sighs and loses some of the tension in her shoulders.

Alluka turns on the radio.

An advertisement on the radio begins.


	40. Chapter 40

_ Illumi Zoldyck’s  last burner phone, messaging log:  
_

 

To 866-740-4531

 

Sent 11:00 PM

Milluki, beginning job.

 

Sent 11:12 PM

Job failed.

 

Sent 11:21 PM:

Job failed, extraction impossible.

 

Sent 11:46 PM:

Tell Killua I love him.

 

Sent 11:47 Pm:

Milluki, I love you.


	41. Chapter 41

An advertisement ends.

A song starts playing, it’s just the first few notes but it’s all she needs.

She rolls down the window.

The cold air hits her face and she feels invincible.

She screams along with the song and presses harder on the gas pedal.


	42. Chapter 42

_ Milluki Zoldyck’s most recent email from his family computer _ :

 

To: ElectricGod46@gmail.com

 

Killua I need you to hold down the fort a few months.

 

I’m taking Kalluto to Constantinople.

 

Ask Alluka if you need cash, she has plenty. 


	43. Chapter 43

When she gets to her training building, her face is frigid and her nose is running and her eyes are wild and her lips are smiling.

Kite stands in front of the building.

His face is disapproving.

Alluka raises a hand in a wave and gives him her biggest, kindest grin.

He can clearly see her hot pink car parked behind her, crooked enough it takes up two spots.

He rolls his eyes and motions her to follow him.

She does.

Alluka changes in the semi-privacy of a public-ish facility changing room early in the morning.

She walks outside to an empty collection of tennis courts goes to the farthest one where her trainer is standing.

Alluka puts down her bag and pulls out her racket.

She stands on the opposite side of the net from Kite.

“Forehand,” says Kite, before he serves the ball hard into Alluka’s right corner.

She sprints for it, she always has to.


	44. Chapter 44

ATP Public Release Statement: the Retirement of Kite Juke

 

Paragraph 2:

“The injuries he sustained growing up and pushing himself to his physical limits lead to serious joint damage. This joint damage, located heavily in the knees, leads to a great deal of pain when he moves too quickly. It is our deepest regret that this has happened to such a beloved star, and we wish to…”

Paragraph 8:

“This is not the end of Kite in the tennis world, keen observers might notice him coaching other players through their performance and working behind the scenes.”


	45. Chapter 45

Forty or fifty exchanges in, Alluka is exhausted.

She’s sweating and she can barely move, her black hair sticks to her face and her uniform has clearly been rolled on the ground.

She hates being tired.

She hates feeling weak.

She hates being so angry for so long.

Kite makes eye contact with her and he tosses the tennis ball lightly up into the air before whipping his racket forward and launching the ball into Alluka’s far right corner.

The moment Alluka dives for it she knows she can’t make it.

She just lands on the ground and slides to a painful stop.

She can feel the rug burn down her side and she groans before closing her eyes and slumping onto the ground.

Kite shouts from across the court. “Go home. You’re useless.”

Alluka turns to puddy on the ground.

“When did you last get any sleep?” Kite asks, having walked to crouch over her.

Alluka groans meaninglessly.

Kite chuckles and lightly pats her head.

Alluka can hear the sound of a water bottle being shook near her head and she peaks one eye open.

Kite is smiling, and it’s an honest smile.

Alluka takes the bottle and sits up to drink.


	46. Chapter 46

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

April 1st, page 198

“Kite might be one of my favorite people.”


	47. Chapter 47

Alluka closes the car door.

She wrings her hands on the steering wheel and leans her face forward onto the top of it.

She lets out a long sigh.

She seriously considering sleeping in the back seat.

Someone taps on her window.

She looks up to see Kite awkwardly waving on the other side of her window.

She rolls the window down.

“I’m driving,” Kite says.

Alluka blinks twice.

“What?” she says.

“Move over,” Kite says.

Alluka just stares at him.

“You’re too tired to drive. You’ve been awake at least two days. Honestly, I shouldn’t have let you drive home yesterday either.” Kite says, and he motions Alluka to move over.

Alluka stifles her grin as she clambers over the console and armrest before slouching into the passenger’s side.

It feels good to be cared about.

Kite has to bend his back in uncomfortable ways to sit in Alluka’s tiny car.

He adjusts the seat for an awkward few seconds.

“Thanks.” Alluka mumbles.

She’s looking pointedly out the front window.

Kite nods as he messes with the mirrors.

“You could get a headstart on sleep if you wanted to.” he suggests.

Alluka shakes her head.

“I don’t really sleep in cars.”


	48. Chapter 48

From  _ Avon Medama’s _ collected works, entitled  _ On Spires and Horrors _

Page 76:

 

“Time.

That intrinsic river.

Flows clean.

But not here.

Not where the sky is like cracked glass.

Not where She roosts.

Time here is sludge.

That drips.

Each drop is loved.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.”


	49. Chapter 49

Alluka feels a gentle nudge to her ribs.

She wakes with a slow inhale and a heavy blink.

Kite is looking out the front window and the radio is playing something strange and electronic.

Kite pulls out Alluka’s keys and places them next to her.

“How are you getting home?” Alluka asks.

Kite opens the door and steps outside as he talks. “I’ll call a cab.”

Alluka follows suit and steps out.

“Thanks.” she says again.

Kite nods.

Alluka waves goodbye as she turns to walk away.

Kite raises his hand in acknowledgment.


	50. Chapter 50

City Police report 573985 page 1-

 

    “ **Subjects-** Gon Freecs AND John Doe

    **Subject Description-**

    Gon Freecs: See report 573904

 

    John Doe: height- 5’ 9” (175.26 CM) / 6’ 1” (185.42 CM)

Male

White Skin

White hair

Blue eyes

    **Offence-** [redacted] AND Introduction of New Citizenry without Council Approval AND resisting Arrest

    **Assigned Constables-** Arwin AND Slade

    **Detailed notes-**

Subjects were reported by good Samaritan (see attached testimony) wandering the streets as Gon Freecs introduced John Doe to The City.

Gon Freecs returned to the city despite previous crimes.

Relationship between John Doe and Gon Freecs unclear, but presumably romantic (See attached testimony).

It is clear that Gon Freecs had told John Doe the basics of Incantations. (See attached testimony).

Constables Arwin and Slade were sent to pursue the subjects.

Constable Arwin was injured.

Subjects esca...


	51. Chapter 51

Alluka is alone.

She closes the door behind her.

Of course, the door shrieks through rusty hinges.

“Killua?” Alluka shouts.

Somehow, she was sure that nothing would answer.

She should feel fear, anger, anything.

She’s too numb.

Too tired.

She walks past the faded red carpet at the front door.

At first, she’s just walking.

Her stomach growls.

She wanders into a small kitchenette they like to keep stocked.

She hasn’t eaten since Gon-

Alluka opens the fridge.

She shuffles aside mounds of veggies and fish to find her apple hidden in the back.

It occurs to her now that hiding it was dumb.

No one would take this small indulgence.

She catches herself staring at a fist of red fruit for no discernible reason.

She bites into it with a pleasing crunch.

The mansion around her is creaking as wooded boards expand against each other and the sun finally reaches above the mangled trees surrounding the estate.

Alluka is crying and she’s not entirely sure why.

There was no emotion beforehand, her eyes had just begun to water.

She takes another bite of beautiful sweetness.

Her legs won’t let her keep standing straight so she squats down into a small ball and leans into the cabinet on her right.

She takes a third bite and sobs through bits of mushed apple.


	52. Chapter 52

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

June 19th:

“Dreams are strange.”


	53. Chapter 53

Alluka is awaken by a gentle shaking.

She keeps her eyes closed.

“Alluka.” says someone in rushed whispered tones.

Alluka wraps her arms around the voice of her brother.

He lets out a pleased noise.

“Hey little sis. You look kind of rough,” says her brother

Aluka has her eyes shut tight, trying her best not to cry.

“Yeah,” is all she says.

But Killua seems to understand.

He coils his arms around her a little harder.

The corners of Alluka’s eyes start to leak but she bites her lips so she doesn’t make any noise.

“Sorry,” says Killua.

Alluka shakes her head into his chest.

A sob escapes her anyway.

Killua apologizes again and kisses the top of her head gently.

“I’m sorry,” he says again and again. “I’m sorry.”


	54. Chapter 54

City Police report 573985 Page 2-

 

       “It should be noted that the subjects were pursued with access to their exits cut off for an extended period of time.

It is logical to assume this might have a long term effect on John Doe.”


	55. Chapter 55

Alluka fell asleep again coddled by gentle touch and kind words.

Killua coaxed her into a nearby room with a couch and she fell asleep with her head on his lap.

She did not dream of anything.

She wakes, awash with the bleary disorientation that comes from a mid-day that goes longer than it should.

She blinks and then crams her palms into her closed eyes.

She groans and shakes out her face before stretching each of her limbs in turn.

There’s a polite knock at the door.

“Alluka?” someone says from the side.

“Yeah?” she says, trying to shake the dazed sound from her voice as she speaks.

Killua pushes open the door, then pauses to reach behind him and grab something.

He comes in with a bowl in one hand and a plate in the other and lifts both in offering.

Alluka doesn’t bother hiding her hesitance.

“Gon cooked.” Killua says. “Should be safe.”

Alluka’s expression doesn’t change.

Killua sets the plate down on a weird three legged antique table and tears off a bit of fish before popping it into his mouth.

He chews for a moment and then grins with fish bits still in his teeth.

Alluka smiles before taking the bowl he’s still offering her.

She looks down at it and then back up at Killua.

“I know it’s not technically part of Pro Tennis(™) diet, but I think you’ve earned a cheat day.” Killua says, leaning on a small table.

Alluka smiles, softer than before, and hoists a generous forkload of coiled spaghetti into her mouth.

The taste is beautiful, a mix of clams and fruit.

Something sweet runs along the edges and corners.

She churns another tumbling forkful of long, pale noodles and pops it into her mouth.

Killua smiles fondly for a moment.

Only for a moment.

“Alluka,” he says, and the edge to his tone makes his sister look over to him, fork still in her mouth.

“I’m going to talk for a while, and I need you to listen, ok?” Killua continues, and his gaze bounces from the floor up to his sister’s eyes.

Alluka pauses, and looks at him.

She nods.

Killua lets a long breath out and takes a long breath in.

“Have you ever watched a speed run that has a lot of weird glitches?” he asks.

Alluka nods, twirling another ambitious mouthful of noodles and greenish white sauce.

“That’s… kind of what Gon does. He… They I should say, they bend the rules by putting stuff together that should never be put together. Like...they recite poems in a dead language while they chemically react something, they mix things that should never have existed in the same space. Like...”

Killua pushes the plate back on the weird table by the couch and pulls a large pinkish/silver coin from his pocket.

Aluka sets the bowl on the floor.

She is focused on her brother.

Killua rests the coin on his thumb and then snaps his finger up.

The coin flips end over end before landing perfectly on its side.

Killua looks at Alluka, then the back to the coin.

He bites his lip and rolls his eyes.

He pulls out another coin and flips it again, again it lands perfectly on its side.

Killua looks between his sister and the two coins, now motioning her to look and understand.

Alluka stares back at her brother, worried.

Killua flexes his finger, tries to find the words.

He sighs.

“There’s this thing, this Beast that…”

Killua sighs again and approaches it from another angle.

“I wasn’t home when you got back because I was somewhere else.” he says.

Alluka nods.

“There’s this city that exists… Somewhere. I’m sorry I took so long there, but I get what Gon said before about time… it… it works differently there. There’s this Thing. This creature and She makes it work differently… I…”

Killua let out a shaky breath.

Then he stood up from his chair and paced back and forth across the room.

He started talking again.

“The city, it’s beautiful. It’s like, remember San Francisco? It’s like that it’s just so much stranger! It’s cold and the sky doesn’t make sense and Gon showed me the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and I just... “

Killua stops in his tracks.

He drops his head into his hands.

“I think Gon killed someone.” he says, quiet as a whisper.


	56. Chapter 56

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

September 30th

“I think Killua is gay.”


	57. Chapter 57

“What. Did. You. Do.”

Gon turns.

He was staring at the floor.

Alluka is standing in the door.

Her arms are crossed and her eyes are full of hate.

Gon licks his lips.

“I didn’t mean to… The city, it can…”

He stops and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry.” he says.

“You’re sorry?” Alluka hisses and her voice is poison.

She hits him as hard as she can on his arm.

Gon stumbles and looks at her like a kicked puppy that thinks it’s earned a beating.

It takes everything in Alluka not to hit him again.

“What did you do to him?” she says, just shy of a shout.

Gon is still staring at the floor.

He doesn’t say anything.

“Why are you here?” she asks, finally losing control and shouting.

Gon licks his lips and grinds his palms into his eyes.

“You have to end up somewhere.” he says, and his voice is hoarse.

“You dropped yourself here by chance alone?” she says “Of all the places in the world, you spun the wheel and landed here?”

Gon opens his mouth and almost speaks but stops himself.

Then he tries again.

“Time is different in The City. It’s slower, but not constantly.” 

Alluka takes a hard breath in through her nose.

Then a question occurs to her.

“How long was Killua there?” Alluka asks.

Gon is still avoiding her eyes.

“A while,” he says and Alluka looks ready to drive an elbow into his skull.

“We couldn’t get out!” Gon says. “They… I broke a rule when I was there last, I just hoped they would forget about it but they couldn’t catch us and we couldn’t leave and…”

Gon stops.

“He was there too long for a first time. The City is…” Gon trails off.

“Too long.” he says, like it finishes any thought.


	58. Chapter 58

_ Biscuit Krueger’s letters to council _

 

Letter 6, Page 1-

“I see no reason that Gon Freecs should be held in such contempt, he could not have known that what he did would offend The Honorable Beast like it did, and if…”


	59. Chapter 59

Alluka has no idea what to do.

She sits, frozen in her bedroom.

Her bedroom is light blue.

It reminds her of who she was born as.

What she is at her core.

Her bed has a creaky metal frame with a mattress she rarely uses.

She tries and she can’t remember the last time she changed her sheets.

More often than anywhere she sleeps in the wide alcove that makes up her windowsill.

The window is old glass and it sucks heat in the winter, but it’s always cool.

She’s set aside a wad of blankets that when not in use rest on the floor.

Alluka is most at peace when it rains.

She rests her head on the cold glass to listen to the trickle of water and the clap of distant thunder.

It’s not raining now.

It’s just cold.

Alluka collects her blankets and rests against the glass and the outside of the windowsill.

It’s comfortable.

The house groans and the sunlight floods in from her window, but if she closes her eyes and pretends, she can almost sleep.

The sun is setting now and she’s slept most of the day, but she’s still so tired.

The sound of creaking and groaning starts to shape like someone’s footsteps.

Alluka closes her eyes and wishes it all away as hard as she can.

Someone knocks on her door.

“Come in.” she says, and her voice has no traces of sleep.

She turns to see Killua pushing through her creaking door.

He greets her with a half hearted smile.

He doesn’t get closer than standing just inside the door.

Alluka turns around completely, and accidentally sheds some of her blankets.

“Killua?” she asks.

Her brother looks at the floor, and then up to her.

“I have to go back, Alluka.”

Alluka stares at her brother.

He’s stupid and wrong as he often is, but this is a new level.

“Why?” Alluka asks.

“Gon left something important behind. He can’t go back or they’ll catch him, but they don’t know me, they won’t catch me.” Killua says.

Alluka can barely understand how this is the same person.

“Killua you can’t-” Alluka begins to stand as she objects.

Then Killua reaches out his hand and tosses an ice cube into Alluka’s covering blankets.

Killua snaps his hand closed and the pile of coverings constrict.

Alluka tumbles onto the floor, arms and legs immobile with the constricted cloth.

“Killua?” she says.

They both can hear the fear in her voice.

“I love you, I’ll be back soon.” Killua says.

His voice is clear but he looks more scared than his sister.

As soon as Killua turns away Alluka begins struggling against her makeshift bonds.

Killua closes the door to Alluka’s room.


	60. Chapter 60

From  _ The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck _ , published posthumously

 

January 8th:

[there is no text, but instead a surreal drawing of an exaggerated middle finger]


	61. Chapter 61

Alluka doesn’t know how long she struggles with her restraints, she’s too focused on ripping out of them.

She doesn’t think, she just flails as best as she can with every limb bound.

It feels like hours.


	62. Chapter 62

City Police report 573986

 

page 1:

“ **Subject-** John Doe/Killua Zoldyck

**Subject Description-**

John Doe: See report 573985

**Offence-** Illegal Immigration to the city AND [redacted] AND…

**Assigned Constables-** Tylin AND Aerth..."


	63. Chapter 63

“Gon!” Alluka screams.

She’s starting to be able to move her elbows and she can fill her lungs completely again.

“GON!” she screams again, and as loud as she can.

Her throat hurts.


	64. Chapter 64

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of simple Incantations.

 

Page 132:

       “Boa Cloth, Strangler’s Linens, or Rope Cloth is an incantation with simple requirements and complex casting process. It requires only ice, something sharp and fabric to act upon. The…”

 

Page 133:

“When the symbol is carved correctly into the ice, the cloth it is in contact with should constrict along with…”

 

Page 135:

“It should be noted that any cloth directly connected with a piece that touched the ice will also constrict. This can lead to strangling hazards.”


	65. Chapter 65

Alluka can hear Gon sprinting.

She can’t tell where.

Does he know where her room is?

All she can do is fight against the cloth to get enough air to keep screaming.

“Gon!” she shouts, again.

She’s given up on wiggling out of her bonds.

She’s just trying to keep her breath steady.

“Gon!” she shouts, and she hates how desperate she sounds.


	66. Chapter 66

City Police report 573986

 

Page 1:

“ **Detailed notes-**

John Doe is known for his crimes in partnership with Gon Freecs (See report 573986)

John Doe’s immigration was discovered when he made inquiries into the whereabouts of [redacted] Freecs.

He was reported by a good Samaritan (See attached report #1).

The report further goes on to clarify that John Doe is looking for [redacted] Freecs on behalf of Gon Freecs.

In accordance with this information, Council member Ging Freecs was contacted. (see attached report #2)

To quote him directly; “I haven’t seen my sister. I don’t know how the little bugger even found out about her. Are we done here?”

With this information, Constables Tylin and Aerth…”


	67. Chapter 67

Gon finds Alluka’s room, guided by desperate shouts.

He rips open the door to her room and immediately runs to try and help her unbundle.

He scrabbled at the cloth for a moment before stopping.

“What happened? Was it the hounds?” he asks and he sounds genuinely afraid.

“Killua tied me down and ran off.” Alluka says as Gon circles around behind her.

“Where?” Gon asked, and he pulled a large knife from his boot and rolled Alluka onto her side.

“Hold still,” he adds before making a small cut through the fabric at about Alluka’s shoulder blade.

“He didn’t say, but he talked about getting something you lost.” Alluka explains, trying to move as little as he can.

The sound of ripping fabric stops.

“Alluka, I need you to stay here.” Gon says and his voice is icy calm.

“Like Hell!” Alluka shrieks.

She hates yelling.

“I can’t risk losing you too.” Gon says and Alluka can hear the sound of his knife fitting back into his shoe.

“What? You barely know me!” Alluka says.

She hates the shrill sound of her voice.

Gon stands up and steps over her.

He turns to look as he walked towards the door.

“You’re all Killua would talk about.”

Gon shuts the door.


	68. Chapter 68

City Police report 573986

 

Page 2:

“ **Detailed notes cont-**

John Doe, or Killua Zoldyck as interrogations proved, was arrested...”


	69. Chapter 69

Alluka is frozen.

For a moment.

She wonders if the cut on the back is enough.  


She pants for a few moments.

Then she takes a deep breath in and deep breath out.

She lets out a panting sob, but she silences the second, digging her teeth into her bottom lip.  


The layers of blanket are wrapped airtight around her.

She wriggles with all of her exhausted limbs as she tries not to sob out loud.


	70. Chapter 70

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of simple Incantations.

 

Page 135:

“Boa Cloth's constrictions can lead to torn cloth pulling itself apart, and the ice melting is...”


	71. Chapter 71

Alluka works everything she has left into that tiny slice in the cloth.

As it gives, she’s never felt anything so sweet.

She scrambles out of the mess of torn blankets and watches as it tightens into a compressed ball in her absence.

She drops her face into her hands.

Then she throws her hair back into a ponytail and stands up.

She needs to get to Gon before he leaves without her.

She starts running.


	72. Chapter 72

City Police report 573986

 

Page 2:

“ **Detailed notes cont-**

After Killua Zoldyck’s arrest, his custody was transferred to The Beast on Her request.”


	73. Chapter 73

Alluka checks the second floor at a sprint.

She checks the third floor at a jog.

She vomits in one of the fourth floor bathrooms.

She checks the attic at a queasy walk.

She sprints down the stairs to the first floor.

She shuffles and pants and looks in every room on the first floor.

She’s crying now.

She knows she’s alone again.

She hates it.

Alluka catches her breath by laying against a wall in the hallway.

She only sobs for a little before she starts walking again.

She walks, arms wrapped around herself.

She checks the basement.

And the sub-basement.

There, she finds it.


	74. Chapter 74

Excerpt from _ Pheinstean’s compendium of Black Magic; Second Edition _

Chapter 4; Overview of Execution and Repercussions of simple Incantations.

 

Page 264:

“The complex geometric designs needed for Reality tear must first be laid down in chalk, then recovered in copper wire. It cannot be overstated, the detail that…”

 

Page 265:

“After running electricity through the wires, there will be burn marks in the shape of these patterns.”


	75. Chapter 75

There were criss-crossing patterns, beautiful and intricate, charred black into the cement along every surface in the room.

And at the center there is a clean sheet of white paper.

Aluka reads it aloud to no one.


	76. Chapter 76

“Be home soon.”


	77. Chapter 77

Alluka rips the small clean sheet of paper in half.

She tosses the torn paper and leaves.

She takes the shortest route she can to her room.

She opens her door and stares at the mangled pile of torn blankets on her floor.

It came loose at some point.

She, without thinking, takes it out of her room and flings it down the hall.

Then she closes her door and locks it.

She sits on her bed in the darkness of the setting sun and closes her eyes.


	78. Chapter 78

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 156:

     “Gon Freecs was, in many ways, the right man at the right time. With his father (Ging Freecs) being a high ranking member of the council and his Aunt (Mito Freecs) being a human stolen by the Beast, he was both in a position of relative power and he had motive to object to the system. On top of this, he had a natural charisma that seemed to draw many of The City’s population to his cause.

     As for his timing, The City was beginning to buckle under the amount of requested human sacrifices by The Beast. Contemporary theories suggest that the beast had no physiological function that necessitated feeding, and those who were released after the beast died revealed that it seemed to have little idea what to do with them.”


	79. Chapter 79

Alluka can feel herself falling asleep.

She’s never been so grateful.


	80. Chapter 80

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Preface 1, What was The City Beyond Time?:

 

Page i:

“It should first be mentioned, for semantics sake, that the title ‘The City Beyond Time’ is technically wrong in every respect. It did not have a population high enough to qualify as a city, (It’s population being well under 6,000 even at its peak) and The City was not without time. It merely experienced (inconsistently) slowed time. This slowed time in The City allowed for men and women with incredible patience to practice the semi-science of magic, which would have taken centuries, without aging into death. This lead to great progress over the course of what outsiders consider only a dozens of years.”


	81. Chapter 81

Alluka dreams of ominous shapes of red and purple shifting in the darkness.


	82. Chapter 82

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 156:

“The events that precipitated the fall of The City Beyond Time were, as one might expect, hectic. This is only exacerbated by the lack of consistent timekeeping as mentioned in greater detail in Chapter 2, and with recommendations for Bliar Himstonk’s ‘The Implications of Timelessness’.  With these in mind, the events will be set along a rough timeline of events leading up to the death of the beast and the fall of The City.”


	83. Chapter 83

The shapes in Alluka’s dream clarify.

The purple, writhing shapes remind her of Killua.

He’s grinning, wide and cruel.

The red, sharp shapes remind her of Illumi.

His expression is vacant, and his body is lax.

Alluka wobbles, standing on the edge of consciousness.


	84. Chapter 84

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 158:

“Gon Freecs, once in the city, contacted several illegal and radicalized groups and began a riot. At this point, The City constables should have been deployed at the councils behest. The council's building however, exploded due to a miscalculated Consequence. Pariston Hill is suspected by contemporary sources, as well as Ging Freecs, given that they were the only surviving members of this explosion.”


	85. Chapter 85

Alluka jumps awake.

Then she freezes, afraid.

She has no memory of her dream, but the fear holds over.

Then the memory of her brother leaving her, chasing a phantom he’s never met, bites her  _ hard _ .

She grits her teeth and wishes she had run out of rage.

She’d fallen over, asleep, folded over her own legs.

She slides off her bed, and her legs prickle in bloodless objection.

She ignores her wobbling steps and dry eyes.

She walks precariously downstairs looking for something to eat.


	86. Chapter 86

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 160:

“As time passed, the riots grew more violent and less focused, consuming the treasury and many other important structures. In response; The Hounds, the Beast’s personal horrors, were released.”


	87. Chapter 87

Alluka groaned, shuffling aside plastic containers of yogurt and half spoiled carrots.

She popped open a tupperware of two days old salmon and broccoli and tore off a section of it by closing her fist on it.

She gnawed merrily away at the taste of nothing.

She opened a cabinet and groaned in indecision.


	88. Chapter 88

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 160:

“There is a - possible apocryphal - story of Gon Freecs killing a Hound with his bare hands. This story is unlikely to be true given the average size and danger of…”

 

Page 159:

“The human casualties were a sizable percent of the human population of the city… estimated in the tens of thousands.”


	89. Chapter 89

Alluka chews on a palmful of spiced pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Her eyes are vacant, semi lidded.

She reaches her hand down to grab another mouthful.

She stops.

She breaths.

She sets the tin aside  and grabs a plastic glass from the sink.

She inspects it for a moment, then rubs on both sides of clear plastic at a light brown stain.

It doesn’t come off.

She runs water in it from the faucet.

She drinks.

It tastes like distant soap and lime.


	90. Chapter 90

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s The Complete History of The City Beyond Time  
Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

Page 160:  
“A large portion, estimated between 45% and 85%, of the Constabulary defected after seeing the horrors the Hounds committed to any all humans.”


	91. Chapter 91

Alluka sits cross-legged in her windowsill.

She’s staring into the foggy blackness that hides the manor grounds.

Her reflection is staring back.

Alluka notes with some satisfaction that she has no expression.


	92. Chapter 92

From Amound Pierre’s  _ The Effects of The Beast _

Category 4: Biology

 

Page 64:

“Hounds can and will take many forms. 

        Some of them pass as human.” 


	93. Chapter 93

Alluka wakes up.

Her neck is sore and her face smeared against the cool glass.

She wipes her mouth and runs a hand over her face.

She takes a breath in, then out and groans.

She tumbles off the windowsill and crawls to the shower.

She peels off her half-clothes, turns the heat as high as it goes and walks in without waiting for it warm up.

It’s agony, for a few seconds, and then it’s lukewarm.

Alluka can’t remember the last time she showered.

The room is filled with steam and the water is warm enough to hurt.

Her skin still feels covered in sweat and gunk.

Her chest is flat.

She curls into a ball under the stream of water.


	94. Chapter 94

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Chapter 11, The Death of The Beast:

 

Page 165:

“When the Beast entered the conflict… testimonies indicate this was the most brutal… with roughly half of the city’s population dying… in what the outside world considered less than a picosecond.”

 

Page 166:

“Gon Freecs and Killua Zoldyck both went missing… are presumed dead… a massive miscalculation inside The Beast… A consequence which could, and would, level a city…”


	95. Chapter 95

There is a crack.

Alluka flinches, still curled into a ball under the hot water.

“Alluka?”


	96. Chapter 96

From Cheadle Yorkshire’s  _ The Complete History of The City Beyond Time _

Preface II, Accuracy and Sources:

 

Page 3:

“Recording facts of The City's history is difficult, given the astronomical number of deaths that came before and during the fall of the city. Between the casualties during the riots that preceded the collapse and that after the death of The Beast, the city began to disintegrate at a rate that forced hundreds to perform Reality Tear at dangerous speeds.”


	97. Chapter 97

“Alluka?” shouts Killua.

“Alluka!” shouts Gon, and he drags out the last ‘a’ sound.

Alluka’s eyes start to water and she turns off the shower.

“Here!” she screams, and she scrambling to get out of the shower.


	98. Chapter 98

From  _ Mito Freecs’ Letters to The Council _ , recovered and published posthumously:

 

Letter 75:

“The Beast is a blight on the city. No one truly knows if it creates the field of timelessness. No one knows why requests so many sacrifices. The beast knows more than we do and it abuses that fact. It leverages our stupidity against us. The council may be willing to ignore the hundreds who die at the hands of The Beast, but I refuse to. I have a nephew, raised as my son. I want to him to grow up proud. I want him to grow up strong. More than anything, I want him to grow up free.”


	99. Epilogue 1

Alluka is playing tennis.

Except she’s enjoying it.

There’s a smile in her eyes, Killua notes with some satisfaction.

He’d never noticed that her body was entirely thin muscle, and he'd never noticed how fast and strong she was.  


He'd never noticed how incredible his own sister was.

He was too focused on himself.

Killua looks over at Gon, who is in rapt attention at the extended volley, his head turning back and forth to follow the ball bouncing from one side of the court to the other.

Then Alluka makes some display of insane physical prowess and scores, and Gon leaps up and cheers.

Killua can’t help but smile as Gon sits back down, sheepish beneath the scorning gaze of moms and professors.

Eventually the game ends.

Gon goes to stand but Killua holds onto him.

Killua points with his other hand and Gon looks.

Alluka is talking with a  _ boy _ .

His hair is short and brown and his eyebrows are… defined.

Killua tries to frown when he makes her laugh, but all he can manage is not to smile.


	100. Epilogue 2

From The Journal of Alluka Zoldyck, published posthumously

April 12:  
        “I met someone today.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad you had the patience to read this chapter at least!  
> If you like my stuff, im on tumblr @ishouldgetatumbler and I'm on twitter at @Im_only_mildly  
> Comments are always appreciated, I have a Ko-Fi and commissions are available!


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